Zain is a telecommunications brand that readily adopts the latest technology in the market. Their current campaign has been recognized as a global first, partnering with OMD KSA to launch Facebook’s In-Stream topic-based targeting tool. This new feature embeds ads within content that is contextually relevant to a target consumer. The In-Stream ads amplified the power, connectivity, and speed of the telecommunication company’s most comprehensive offering of 5G services.

The opportunity

OMD identified the advertising opportunity early on. The media agency noted how Facebook’s new-to-market and untested product could complement and amplify Zain KSA’s core campaign objective to build awareness of its 5G network in the region and its speed potential for gaming and education. From the campaign's inception to its execution across social media, OMD acted fast and rolled out the In-Stream ads to audiences across the region in a matter of hours.

The tech

According to Facebook, there are approximately two billion people who watch videos globally on the platform each month, with 70% of in-stream ads watched to completion. Recent studies also indicate that by adding a Facebook In-Stream campaign, advertisers saw a “median 1.5x increase in ad recall.” The In-Stream Video Topics feature will expand targeting beyond audiences to topics of any given video. Video Topics offers 26 categories and around 100 subcategories, including animals, business, fitness, fashion, gaming, sports, food, health, etc. It is well-positioned towards serving ads in premium and contextually relevant content environments that align with Zain's brand needs.

The results

The campaign saw +5.0 points lift in attribute rating vs. the 0.8 points EMEA average, along with a +1.8 point lift in purchase intent vs. 0.9 point EMEA average. Furthermore, the campaign generated a higher number of click-throughs compared to similar campaigns, with double the number of video plays and completed views.

Rayan al Turki, CCO of Zain KSA states, “We made it a company mission to stay ahead of innovation and technologies and this year we are accelerating this ambition with Zain’s 5G product, which will supply the region with the best, fastest and most-connected coverage in the Kingdom and beyond.”

Zain KSA Director of Channels, Muneeb Arrabi adds, “Zain is always keen to capitalize on new advertising opportunities. We are especially excited about Facebook’s innovative ad tools where we are witnessing impressive growth possibilities within our line of products including our amazing offers for 5G.”